1. It is impossible to undo the suffering of people who endured injustice in the past through slavery, segregation, exploitation and other forms of harm and humiliation.
It is, however, possible to do better now, and in the future, and many people and nations are on the way to doing this. Five strategies seem worth drawing attention to but I am sure readers will have many other examples:
Education – In our educational and care practices, there are many opportunities to draw attention to past wrongdoing. In teaching about, for example, the USPHSSS, we can help students understand how and why wrongdoing can occur and how it can be prevented in future. This can also include drawing attention to the causes and consequences of harm and neglect in care contexts. More broadly, this can include highlighting the toxic impact of racism, classism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination.
Research and scholarship – The conference at Tuskegee demonstrated the value of historians and bioethicists working together to understand past examples of wrongdoing and how these connect with current practices which diminish human dignity. Research relating to ethics education, as published in this journal over the years, enables us to understand which approaches work and how we can use innovative approaches, such as immersive simulation, to best effect.
The arts – The arts have tremendous potential ‘to show not tell’, for example, in theatre, drama and through museums and monuments. Museums and monuments that illuminate suffering are impactful and educate us about, for example, the causes and appalling consequences of genocide and the Holocaust, of injustices inflicted on Native and African Americans, on those labelled ‘non-human’ in slavery and relating to other indigenous peoples and people who are considered ‘other’.
Everyday relationships – All of us can model ethical behaviour in our personal and professional lives. Role model behaviour and qualities that show others how to grasp opportunities to enable other humans, other species and the environment to flourish. A colleague in Alabama suggested a strategy to respond to disclosures of negative attitudes and beliefs relating to a group of humans they consider ‘different’ to them. That is to ask ‘how many (Black, g4y, transgender, working class…) people have you met and spent time getting to know?’
Reparations – As mentioned above, there is currently debate about the ethics of repayments to Black descendants of those who were enslaved
Universities such as Georgetown and Cambridge are engaged in studies and reflection on findings regarding how they profited from slavery in the past and how they may atone for past wrongdoing This is a complex issue and we should, as a care ethics community, discuss this important topic with students and colleagues.
Overall, then, there is much to reflect on regarding the wrongs of the past and whether it is possible to right these wrongs. It is impossible to undo past suffering, however, we can do much in our education and care practices to draw attention to human fallibility and tendencies to favour humans who are similar to ourselves.
Some years ago, I came across a quotation that, in relation to this discussion, is particularly helpful:
Each of us is like all of us, like most of us, like some of us, like none of us. (source unknown)
Keeping in mind the woman in the twin tower who held down her skirt before jumping to her death reminds us of our uniqueness and also of our common humanity. We need to continue to work together to do good and to counter human inclinations to harm and wrong others.
